Page 22 - DreamScapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2023

TORNGAT MOUNTAINS IN KUURURJUAC NATIONAL PARK
SPECIAL FEATURE : NUNAVIK
“The Great Land”
Delivers Great
Adventure
POLAR BEARS
The Nunavik region of Québec’s Far North is a nature lover’s dream come true. This Arctic landscape sits
th
above the 55 parallel: a backcountry wilderness of
alpine tundra, gravity-defying mountains, remote coastlines, friendly Inuit communities and four Québec national parks.
To polar bears, muskox and caribou, the tundra, tumbling waterways and craggy shores are their homes. The Inuit people have journeyed and settled on this land for more than four millennia. Today, they guide excursions into the inviolable grandeur of the Nunavik Parks, marrying unspoiled adventure with rich cultural experiences and the magical northern lights.
PINGUALUIT NATIONAL PARK
A backcountry trip to Pingualuit goes to the park’s signature feature—the almost perfectly round crater filled with clear blue rainwater, formed when a meteorite slammed into the tundra 1.4 million years ago. The nearby base camp at Lake Manarsulik is the jumping-off point for explorations into the surreal beauty of the parklands. Visitors arrive at the Inuit community of Kangiqsujuaq, nearby the Hudson Strait, to meet their Inuit guides before travelling 120 km (75 mi.) to the crater site by panoramic flight. Adventurers paddle Lake Manarsulik and hike the crater rim with vistas over the tree- less Arctic tundra. nunavikparks.ca/en/parks/pingualuit
KUURURJUAQ NATIONAL PARK
Climb Québec’s highest summit, Mont D’Iberville, and hike the foothills of the Torngat Mountains, Canada’s tallest peaks east of the Rockies. Its superlatives include: spell- binding vistas of rolling tundra, spiritual treks through ancient boreal spruce forests and camping in traditional Inuit tents while the Northern Lights play overhead. The headwaters of the Koroc River flow from the Torngats, a place the Inuit call “The Land of Spirits,” a navigable waterway for whitewater paddling. The welcoming commu- nity of Kangiqsualujjuaq is the home base for expeditions where experienced Inuit guides share the love of their Arctic homeland and the richness of their culture and history. nunavikparks.ca/en/parks/Kuururjuaq
BY JOSEPHINE MATYAS
HUDSON CUESTAS IN TURSUJUQ NATIONAL PARK
PHOTOS: PATRICK GRAILLON | HEIKO WITTENBORN | NUNAVIK TOURISM | STEVE DESCHÊNES | ISABELLE DUBOIS | STEVE DESCHÊNES | FLY ROD CHRONICLES
PINGUALUIT CRATER